The abyssal zone is currently one of the most extreme biomes, both on land and off--life is dangerous and particularly deadly for organisms that aren't used to the pressure and enviorenment that exists in the dark depths, with pitch black darkness, poisonous gasses, extreme acidity and water that is frigid and searing, like needles biting into skin. For a human, going down to this area would mean to be crushed instantly only because of the undersea pressure.
The name ABYSS is derived from the Greek word which means "no bottom". This name could've been given to this layer because the people sailing the sea, such as naval captains, sailors of fleets, and pirates in the 'olden days' used to believe that after a certain point, such as when they couldn't see any land anymore, the sea had no bottom--it would go down with no end and no one would ever find anything underneath. This could've been thought because no one ever could reach further than approximately twenty metres down: even with the technology we have nowadays, modern divers can only go as far as fifty to one hundred metres without being at immediate risk. It is similar to the superstitious belief that the earth had two ends, and all the water spilled off the ends. This is given an example in the major motion picture Pirates of the Carribean: At the World's End. Of course, both beliefs have been proven to be completely false.
the layers of the ocean
DARKER THAN THE DEEPEST CAVE: SURVIVING THE ABYSS
Since sunlight--or any form of light--cannot penetrate further than approximately few hundred feet, it is pitch black interminably. Because of the lack of light, the plant life is nonexistent, the only living species at the abyssal zone being animals. With no contact with light indefinitely, these animals have to find other ways of survival, other sources of energy. They also have to have a different structure than other living animals particularly larger animals that live in the deep sea often obtaining structures, behaviors, or body chemistries that have evolved to allow them to survive in their unusual environments. These features are called adaptations and describe something about a living creature that helps it to survive in its environment. First of all, these vent species do not rely on photons from the sun, but chemicals from the Earth's interior. Its scientific name is chemosynthesis. Here's a passage explaining the process:
---Tiny microbes oxidize the hydrogen sulfide that diffuses out of the vents, providing nutrients for animals higher up the food chain. Some creatures, such as the mollusks known as gastropod snails, feast on the bacteria directly; others, including predatory fish, dine on animals that have eaten or otherwise made use of the microbes; still others, like tubeworms, host the microorganisms in their tissues in exchange for organic compounds that the bacteria fashion from the vent chemicals and seawater. (The only element from above that these microbes require for their artistry is oxygen, which is abundant in seawater and was originally produced, of course, by plants. So when it comes right down to it, even these life forms ultimately rely on sunlight.)--- This paragraph was taken from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/abyss/life/extremes.html
a black smoker in the abyssal zone
Toxic chemicals are also a large part of the life at the deep: there are many toxicants, the most common one of them being hydrogen sulfide. These chemicals are spewed from black smokers and dormant underwater volcanoes. They're absolutely toxic to any other organism that might come close enough--though vent animals thrive and rely on it. When oxygen reaches the abyssal zone, these chemicals have a, well, chemical reaction. This act produces energy, preventing the precious oxygen from going to waste. All this and more are the key points to surviving in the abyssal zone, but only for the animals that are meant to exist at those depths.
THE ANIMALS OF THE ABYSS: FASCINATING AND HORRIFYING
Birds, the fascinating animals that defy gravity and soar through the sky. Old news. Compared to the animals of the Abyssal Zone and the feats they accomplish, accompanied by their grotesque looks and fangs, birds are no longer even near impressive.
These animals have a very variant structure: they have flesh and vital organs that can survive literally tons of pressure, sight that can penetrate pitch black darkness, systems that barely rely on sunlight and a system that is not even slightly disoriented by deadly waste spewed through the seafloor. Even though these animals are completely different from what we know as an animal, the food chain and law of survival still apply. The big eat the small, the weak perish and the strong prevail...everything commonly known from an African animal kingdom to the thriving but dying one of a coral reef.
A few of these animals are the tripod fish, deep-sea anglerfish, the vampire squid and the giant squid. The basis of the food chain begins with bacteria and plankton, and as the depth increases the abundance of predetors reduce and the number of creatures who feed on minerals and the sustenance in mud increase.
ABYSSAL ZONES IN THE OCEAN
The abyssal zone is currently one of the most extreme biomes, both on land and off--life is dangerous and particularly deadly for organisms that aren't used to the pressure and enviorenment that exists in the dark depths, with pitch black darkness, poisonous gasses, extreme acidity and water that is frigid and searing, like needles biting into skin. For a human, going down to this area would mean to be crushed instantly only because of the undersea pressure.The name ABYSS is derived from the Greek word which means "no bottom". This name could've been given to this layer because the people sailing the sea, such as naval captains, sailors of fleets, and pirates in the 'olden days' used to believe that after a certain point, such as when they couldn't see any land anymore, the sea had no bottom--it would go down with no end and no one would ever find anything underneath. This could've been thought because no one ever could reach further than approximately twenty metres down: even with the technology we have nowadays, modern divers can only go as far as fifty to one hundred metres without being at immediate risk. It is similar to the superstitious belief that the earth had two ends, and all the water spilled off the ends. This is given an example in the major motion picture Pirates of the Carribean: At the World's End. Of course, both beliefs have been proven to be completely false.
DARKER THAN THE DEEPEST CAVE: SURVIVING THE ABYSS
Since sunlight--or any form of light--cannot penetrate further than approximately few hundred feet, it is pitch black interminably. Because of the lack of light, the plant life is nonexistent, the only living species at the abyssal zone being animals. With no contact with light indefinitely, these animals have to find other ways of survival, other sources of energy. They also have to have a different structure than other living animals particularly larger animals that live in the deep sea often obtaining structures, behaviors, or body chemistries that have evolved to allow them to survive in their unusual environments. These features are called adaptations and describe something about a living creature that helps it to survive in its environment. First of all, these vent species do not rely on photons from the sun, but chemicals from the Earth's interior. Its scientific name is chemosynthesis. Here's a passage explaining the process:
---Tiny microbes oxidize the hydrogen sulfide that diffuses out of the vents, providing nutrients for animals higher up the food chain. Some creatures, such as the mollusks known as gastropod snails, feast on the bacteria directly; others, including predatory fish, dine on animals that have eaten or otherwise made use of the microbes; still others, like tubeworms, host the microorganisms in their tissues in exchange for organic compounds that the bacteria fashion from the vent chemicals and seawater. (The only element from above that these microbes require for their artistry is oxygen, which is abundant in seawater and was originally produced, of course, by plants. So when it comes right down to it, even these life forms ultimately rely on sunlight.)---
This paragraph was taken from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/abyss/life/extremes.html
THE ANIMALS OF THE ABYSS: FASCINATING AND HORRIFYING
Birds, the fascinating animals that defy gravity and soar through the sky. Old news. Compared to the animals of the Abyssal Zone and the feats they accomplish, accompanied by their grotesque looks and fangs, birds are no longer even near impressive.
These animals have a very variant structure: they have flesh and vital organs that can survive literally tons of pressure, sight that can penetrate pitch black darkness, systems that barely rely on sunlight and a system that is not even slightly disoriented by deadly waste spewed through the seafloor. Even though these animals are completely different from what we know as an animal, the food chain and law of survival still apply. The big eat the small, the weak perish and the strong prevail...everything commonly known from an African animal kingdom to the thriving but dying one of a coral reef.
A few of these animals are the tripod fish, deep-sea anglerfish, the vampire squid and the giant squid. The basis of the food chain begins with bacteria and plankton, and as the depth increases the abundance of predetors reduce and the number of creatures who feed on minerals and the sustenance in mud increase.
You can visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/abyss/life/bestiary.html and http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/deep-sea-menu.html for more information on some other animals that live in the abyssopaleagic zone.
SUEDA BÖLÜKOĞLU 7C/620
01/27/2011